Trust and Truth
by Calimetaure
Summary: [REWRITE YSTxSM] Kino Makoto moved to Shinjuku after being in the hospital, thinking she's gotten too dependent on the others. She met Yagiyu Nasutei and Byakuuen while looking for a job. She's not a Trooper and she's never met him, so why does Byakuuen
1. New Home, New Friends

Pairing: Eventual Shin/Makoto  
Type: X-over; action/adventure  
Begun: 6/20/02  
Ended: who knows?

**Note:** This takes place somewhere between the end of Sailor Stars, so it's sort of a TWT for the Senshi, and the middle of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers series (between the first and second invasion - which is supposed to have happened in 1988, anyway), so it's a total TWT for the Troopers. Also, the people in Shinjuku came back from wherever they disappeared to between the two invasions.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. I never will own them, and I'm sure you're all thankful for that. However, I do own this plot and any and all clothing designs.  
**Warnings:** The only senshi found here are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. All others appear in mention alone. There will be violence in later chapters, and blood. That's about it, though.

* * *

"Kotora? Are you sure you'll be all right? We live right down the road, you know. You could move closer to us."(1) 

Makoto smiled even as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, Haruka-san. I'm sure I'll be fine. Shinjuku is hardly as large as Tokyo, and all the houses near you are for families. Besides, you're not **right** down the road, you're a good six miles. I'd never be able to keep up."(2)

The Senshi of Wind crossed her arms and huffed out an annoyed sigh. Makoto giggled and Michiru tactfully hid her smile behind her hand. She placed a calming and comforting hand on her lover's shoulder.

"Really, Haruka, you're being too protective. I'm sure Makoto will be fine on her own. She has lived on her own before, you know, and look: she's still alive. With her cooking, you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde conceded. "But ... I don't like it."

"No one said you had to. Here, Haruka-san, how about this - I'll call you twice a week to check in. This way you can be sure I haven't started a huge fire in the house or killed myself, all right?" Makoto asked, desperately trying to hold back a smile.

Apparently it worked because the taller woman closed her eyes and gave a short nod of acceptance. The red haired girl fought the urge to throw up a hand in victory as she sagely held out a hand to shake on the deal.

"I want to hear from you on Monday and Thursday without fail, any time you like, but on those days," Haruka said sternly as they shook hands.

Makoto nodded in obedience.

"I don't like having all you by yourself. It's too hard to keep track of you all. Usagi wouldn't like it – she'd be afraid something would happen to you. It's for her sake as well my sanity."

Once again, Makoto nodded. She understood completely that her moving to Shinjuku would make it more difficult to protect herself, and even the other senshi, if there should be a battle. They wouldn't be there to help her, and she wouldn't be there to help them. It made Haruka even more worried for her safety. It also made Makoto feel even guiltier than she already was – but then, she was here to learn to be independent again. To learn to be self-sufficient again. She'd been relying too much on the others once she'd met them – she was becoming soft.

"I'm sorry, Haruka-san, I'm causing all this trouble. I should have been stronger ... but now I'll work on that. Be better next time," Makoto said sadly.

Haruka's eyes widened, realizing that the girl thought she was angry with her for being what both she and Makoto would normally consider weak. The older woman quickly placed what she hoped was a comforting hand on Makoto's shoulder.

"Kotora, it's not your fault. You did all you could. I shouldn't have said that last bit, but I'm worried about you. I just want you to be careful."

Makoto looked up hesitantly, but calmed almost immediately. "Thank you, Haruka-san."

It hadn't been an easy thing, deciding to move. She was about to start college, and the call of the storms had been pushing her to move, to seek out new experiences. That call had been even stronger than the will of Usagi, and now Makoto found herself in Shinjuku. With Haruka and Michiru acting as her patrons it was easy to purchase a small house in the city and move all her things there. The only thing she needed now was a job so she could keep up with her bills.

"Haruka, I think Makoto would like some time to adjust to her new house. We have overstayed our welcome," Michiru said. She took the Senshi of Wind by the hand and led her to the door. "Please feel free to call if you would like someone to talk to. We are usually here on the weekends if you would like company."

"Thank you, too, Michiru-san," Makoto said gratefully. One of the major problems she had with living alone was being lonely. Company, from the outer Senshi whom she so admired and from the inner Senshi whom she loved as sisters, was invaluable.

"Remember, Monday and Thursday. That means a call tomorrow."

"Right, right, Haruka-san!"

She watched as Michiru and Haruka disappeared around the corner to where the elevators were located. She waited until they were out of sight before closing the door to her new apartment and leaning against it. A sigh escaped Makoto's lips unbidden, and she immediately smacked herself mentally for it.

_Idiot_! She chided herself, _Pull yourself together. You've done this before – you can do it again. Now at least it's by choice that you're on your own. And soon you'll be attending college here. So stop this pathetic self-pity party._

With that thought firmly in place, Makoto began walking through the rooms of her apartment, making sure that all of the right boxes were in the right place. She paused in front on the large windows and looked out at the setting sun. Then she looked down, watching the tiny people-specks walk around as they went about their daily business. She smiled at the irony of it all.

If you had told her four years ago that she would be living twenty-one floors above street level, Makoto would have laughed at you. After her parents had gone down in that plane, not only was flying a definite out – so was being any higher than six floors up. Things certainly had changed since then. As it was, she had chosen one of the two penthouse apartments on the twenty-first floor of her new apartment building, with large windows, a terrace, and a wonderful view of the Shinjuku skyline.

Makoto yawned tiredly and shuffled to her bedroom, muttering to herself, "Let's get this place set up for sleep, eh?" It would be her most important room eventually, after all – no point in putting it off, and she would have to sleep. It was nearly ten o' clock PM and she had to go part-time job hunting tomorrow. There was no sense in her being totally wiped out while trying to impress a would-be boss.

* * *

"No." 

"I'm sorry, we just don't have the room for one so young."

"You really think that you're a better cook than our chef? I'd like to see you try."

"I'm going to be frank. We're not hiring part time right now, we're in too much of a slump to pay for someone who doesn't do a full day's work."

"If you want to clean tables, sure, girlie."

"We're looking for full time employees, not part time table cleaners."

"I'm sorry."

"Come back in a few years."

_Not hiring help at this time._

Makoto stared, slack jawed. "Kami-sama! Even **signs** are rejecting me!" she muttered, and her eyes narrowed, betraying her annoyed state.

She'd been searching for a part time job all day and so far each and every possibility had turned her down. Of course, every place she'd gone to had been a food establishment. What else could she do? There were no flower shops in the immediate area, and she doubted that she'd be able to get a job there with no experience to her name. Was it her fault that attacks seemed to always happen at night? Was it her fault that she had college to worry about when summer break ended? **She** didn't think so, but it seemed any and all potential employers did. Makoto snorted and leaned against the wall, taking the pressure off her feet. She berated herself mentally – she'd faced worse pain than hurt feet. This was nothing to be complaining about. Makoto shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans and began a slow trudge away from the mocking sign, looking down at the ground.

"Byakuuen! Come back here! ... Byakuuen, no!"

Makoto looked up towards the sound of the voice, pinning it instantly with her enhanced hearing. Instead of a person, however, she saw a large, white tiger running at her, full speed. Normal people would have been frozen to the spot, or at least screamed, but Makoto had never been "normal" by those standards. When the tiger took a flying leap at her, she merely ducked out of the way with a swift jump to the left. The massive ball of white fur landed near her, staring at her with large blue eyes. Something nearly compelled Makoto to talk to the huge tiger but she was saved by the vision of the apparent owner of the cat running towards her frantically.

"I'm ... so ... very ... sorry!" the woman panted, finally reaching the two. "Byakuuen doesn't normally do that. I can't believe he would just run after you like that, miss ... " the strange woman trailed off as she realized that she didn't know Makoto's name.

The green eyed girl decided to go out on a limb with this woman. It wasn't everyday you made friends with someone who owned a white tiger, after all. She smiled, "Makoto. Kino Makoto."

"I'm Yagiyu Nasutei. I'm really, terribly sorry. I hope Byakuuen didn't scare you, he's really quite sweet ... "

Once again trailing off, this time with eyes wide, Nasuti realized that Byakuuen was rubbing against Makoto's leg. Feeling the soft fur rubbing against her, Makoto's own eyes widened and she looked down in shock. But as if remembering something Nasutei watched her smile and look back up at her.

"Is this what you mean by sweet? 'Cause it's working already; I'm safely wrapped around his ... er ... tail, I suppose."

Nasutei smiled, "Are you a cat person?"

"You might say that," Makoto answered, smiling that odd little smile. "No, he doesn't scare me. As a matter of fact, I get the feeling that so long as I don't get on his bad side he's almost like an overgrown kitty. I'm almost waiting for him to start purring."

Nasutei laughed. She liked Makoto. Makoto wasn't scared of Byakuuen, nor was she suggesting that Nasutei was insane for having him, and she was treating him almost like a real person. That was hard to find in people around the area, who were convinced that Nasutei and the Troopers were some sort of cult followers and treated them accordingly.

"So what are you doing down here with a large tiger? I expect not many people understand him as well as you do, it must be hard to get anything done," Makoto said, scratching Byakuuen's ears.

"You don't know the half of it," Nasutei giggled. "He's actually replacing my car for a while, while it's in the shop. I've got a few errands to do at the school where my grandfather used to work. Papers to be filed, making sure all his things have been packed – that sort of thing. Why are you down here?"

"Oh, I'm looking for a part-time job. I just moved here and I'll be starting college this coming fall. It seems, however, that not everyone around here is interested in hiring part time chefs, or even waitresses. Every place I've gone to has rejected me for some reason or other," Makoto grinned ruefully as she stood to meet Nasutei's eyes.

"I wouldn't put it past some of the people here to discriminate," Nasutei said grimly. She stood still for a bit, thinking, then grinned, "Oh! Tell you what, my friend Shuu's family owns a restaurant. They could use some help, even if it's part time. Maybe I can call and set up an interview for you, I'm sure they'd be glad to have you onboard."

Makoto's face brightened slightly. "Are you sure? I mean, they won't think it's ... odd? To just sort of ... throw me at them?"

"If you feel uncomfortable I can write down the address and you can see their restaurant for yourself," Nasutei offered. "They're really very friendly people, and their food is wonderful, but they're often short-staffed."

The taller girl contemplated the offer, brow furrowing slightly as she weighed her options. She seemed almost as if she was having some internal debate with herself. Finally she reached a decision and nodded.

"I'd love to visit their restaurant," she said, thinking as an aside, _And I really need that job_. "Here." Makoto dug in her pockets for some spare paper and a pen. "If you could write the address and your phone number here, I'd like to keep in touch."

"Only if you give me your number," Nasutei countered with a grin.

"Sure thing," Makoto smiled as well and wrote her number on the paper before tearing it in half. She waited for Nasutei to write the address and her phone number and looked at it as she would a business card when they were handed to her. If Nasutei thought it odd, she made no indication, and did the very same with Makoto's phone number.

"So you're new to Shinjuku, right?" Nasutei asked. Byakuuen, who until this time had been forgotten, butted her leg with his head for attention.

Makoto laughed and nodded. "Yes, I'm new." She scratched Byakuuen's ears softly, almost absently, and Nasutei got the feeling that Makoto was very used to being around cats.

Not that that was something to be suspicions of – there were lots of cat people in the world – but Byakuuen had taken a liking to her so instantaneously ... Nasutei shook her head a little and decided to forget it for a while. She smiled, "Then I hope I'll be seeing you around. I'm usually up at the school. My grandfather used to teach and so I may be taking over his job. It depends on if the school still wants me there, you know?"

"Yeah, I've had that happen to a friend before. Or it will eventually happen. She's going to take over for her mother, when her mother retires, as a doctor."

Nasutei nodded even as Makoto's watch beeped loudly. Makoto blushed and looked down quickly to shut it off. She grinned sheepishly when she looked back up at the older girl. "Sorry about that. I forgot it's Thursday; I have to call my guardian in about an hour," she explained. "It was nice meeting you, Nasutei-san, and thank you for the address."

"My pleasure, Makoto-san. I hope we'll keep in touch. I'll see you, ne?"

"Aa, see you!"

Nasutei and Byakuuen watched Makoto wave to them and jog away, in the direction they assumed was her apartment. When she was far enough from them, the tiger butted Nasutei's leg with his head again, once more looking for attention, but for a different reason. The older girl looked down and met his blue eyes her own looking worried.

"Yes Byakuuen I felt it, too. There's something different about Makoto-san, but I can't for the life of me think what. There aren't any more armors, are there? I really don't think I can handle any more Arago's popping up." The tiger almost seemed to laugh at her and she huffed slightly. "No, I am **not** being paranoid. Come on, we'll put more thought to it later. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of Makoto-san, whether or not we want to. Even so ... " she looked off in Makoto's direction, "It might not be a horrid thing."

* * *

NOTES

(1) So, this is totally my thing, but I imagine that if Makoto and Haruka ever got close 'kotora' would be Haruka's pet name for her. 'Kotora' meaning 'baby-tiger'.

(2) Okay, I've been yelled at for using Japanese before, and I've seen the point to the arguments. BUT. I will continue to use suffixes such as '-san', '-chan', '-kun', etc. These suffixes denote speech patters and politeness. Therefore, they stay. Likewise I'm keeping names of places in the original Japanese. Why? Because they're proper names. If I were to translate them, I might as well go around translating the names of the Senshi, and that's just silly.


	2. How to Get a Job in a Day

Pairing: Eventual Shin/Makoto  
Type: X-over; action/adventure  
Begun: 6/20/02  
Ended: who knows?

**Note:** This takes place somewhere between the end of Sailor Stars, so it's sort of a TWT for the Senshi, and the middle of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers series (between the first and second invasion - which is supposed to have happened in 1988, anyway), so it's a total TWT for the Troopers. Also, the people in Shinjuku came back from wherever they disappeared to between the two invasions.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. I never will own them, and I'm sure you're all thankful for that. However, I do own this plot and any and all clothing designs.  
**Warnings:** The only senshi found here are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. All others appear in mention alone. There will be violence in later chapters, and blood. That's about it, though.

* * *

Makoto got home in record time and all but slammed the door closed, leaning heavily against it as she caught her breath, and mentally chided herself for getting so out of shape. Just because she had been in the hospital was reason for her to forget training after all. It had been her Senshi communicator that had brought her running back to her new apartment, not a watch alarm as she knew Nasutei had assumed, which had nearly sent her into a panic. Half way back to her home she realized that it **was** only beeping as a reminder. Now she stood in the front hall, debating what her next move would be, staring at the pictures that lined the walls in silver and wood frames. There were a few priceless photos of her and Shinozaki, memories that she hoped never to forget, and some of family members that she didn't even know – or didn't think she knew because she couldn't remember any of them – but the predominant images were those of the Senshi. 

Usagi, Rei, Ami, Minako, and even the outer Senshi and Starlights lined the two walls from the door to the living room. Some were group photos, others were singles, but very few had Makoto in them. She was usually the one taking the pictures that lined these walls; those that had her in them were in her room, in a photo album on the table next to her bed, next to her parents' picture.

"It still feels weird being away from everyone ... " Makoto muttered to one group image, bringing up her hand to trace the frame. "Maa ... are you all alright?"

She didn't expect to receive a reply, and thanked the gods that she didn't get one. The last thing she needed was to go insane – and talking photographs would probably be one of the first steps towards it. Makoto sighed and headed to the living room where she knew her phone would be waiting for her. It was time to call Haruka. She plopped down on the couch and stared at the blank TV screen before reaching over and picking up the receiver and dialing the number. The phone picked up on the first ring, and she blinked.

"Moshi-moshi? Haruka-san?"

"Kotora. Right on time. I'm impressed."

"Yes, Haruka-san. I'm sure you are. Just calling to let you know that I'm still alive, my apartment hasn't burned down yet, and no, I'm not moving out any time soon."

Haruka sighed slightly, "I didn't think you would. At any rate, I wasn't going to push you. Did you get that job yet?"

"No, not yet. But I've got one more place to try before I give up and look for a different job that doesn't have to do with a restaurant."

"Have you made any friends?"

"Unless you count a big white tiger ... "

"A what!"

Makoto laughed lightly. "A tiger. You know, Haruka-san, they're really big cats. Usually seen in zoos or on TV programs, live in the wild, that sort of thing ... "

"Cute, kotora, really cute. Tell me, does your new friend reside in a zoo?"

"No, with Nasutei-san. I assume Nasutei-san is the owner of the tiger, at any rate. His name is Byakuuen, by the way. She's the one who gave me the address of the restaurant. I'll go there tomorrow, I'm really not in the mood for tonight."

"Okay. Just be careful – "

"I know, Haruka-san. I will be. Listen, I've got some things to clean up in the bathroom and I need to put way the rest of my apartment, I'll talk to you on Monday, okay?"

"Sure, kotora. See you."

"See you, Haruka-san," Makoto said shortly and hung up. She sighed, knowing it was rude, but settled herself back into the couch to decide what to do for dinner anyway. Being nagged at worked up an appetite sometimes.

In the end, Makoto chose to do the simplest thing: eat out. She had noticed a small ramen shop around the corner from her apartment and decided to see if they were as good as she was. Taking her first cautious bite, Makoto immediately decided that the cooks needed lessons in flavoring and tossed pepper flakes into the noodles. It was cheap food, though, which was a very good thing. When the broth was spiced to fit her needs, she ate happily, all the while pondering her next move to get a job.

_I know that Nasutei-san said that her friend's restaurant needed workers, but ... maybe I should call first? I mean, she said they wouldn't mind, but ... it's not like I'm a friend of theirs. I'm not even a friend of Nasutei-san's, just an acquaintance. And the restaurant is in Yokohama according to the paper ... It would be rude of me to just show up and expect a job, wouldn't it. All right, I'll give them a call as soon as I get home and explain the situation._

Makoto nodded to herself firmly, affirming her decision, and finished the rest of her ramen quickly, tossing the correct change on the counter to pay for it. She headed directly home and marched herself to the phone, intending to call the number ... but was stopped by the flashing light indicating that she had a message.

_But who would be calling me? I just called Haruka-san ... Only Nasutei knows my new number now_, she thought, frowning slightly, and pushed the button.

"Kino Makoto-san?" Makoto started a little, hearing a completely unknown voice. "I'm sorry to call you at home. You don't know me – I'm Shuyu Chan-Run, my son Shuu is a friend of Yagiyu Nasutei-san's. She called us this afternoon and mentioned that you were looking for a part-time job, which I'm calling about. The family is looking to see about opening a new restaurant in Shinjuku, hoping to be closer to our son during college, and we are in need of help. If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to make a trip to Yokohama tomorrow? We'd like to interview you. Please call us when you get a chance."(1)

Makoto stared at her phone in shock, hands moving automatically to take down the phone number that Chan-Run left her. The message ended with a loud beeping sound, but she didn't even notice. She was too busy staring blankly at the wall. Why did the weird stuff like this always happen to her? The digital clock changed its numbers, causing her to snap out of her daze and pick up the phone. Almost not even realizing what she was doing, she dialed the number.

"Moshi-moshi ... Shuyu-san? This is Kino Makoto ... "

* * *

The next morning dawned the same time as the morning before, and as she had the morning before, Makoto missed it. Not that she was complaining. Her bed was wonderfully warm and soft and smelled very ... _clean_. All good things in her opinion. The alarm went off exactly three hours after the sun began to show on the horizon. She groaned and fought the urge to smash it into the wall, blearily opening her eyes to glare at it instead. 08:00 shown back happily in bright green. 

_Stupid green. Why'd I have to get green digital clocks for all my rooms? Should've gotten regular ones with hands. Or something. Or no clocks. Just a watch. Or something._

And so her thoughts ran in circles as Makoto pulled herself into a sitting position and shoved away her covers so she wouldn't be tempted to go back to sleep. She couldn't afford it today – not when she had a big interview that was probably her last hope for a job during the remainder of the summer break and college. The sleepy girl shuffled into the bathroom and dug around for her toothpaste – cursing herself for procrastinating with the unpacking. As always she'd taken a shower the night before, allowing her the right amount of time to wash her face and shuffle into the kitchen with her eyes still half closed and a hand on the wall so she didn't crash in to anything.

Some time later, Makoto blessed whatever god invented coffee and taught people how to make it. Sadly enough, though she had once been an avid non-coffee-person, she had given into the temptation half-way through high school. She decided long ago that coffee had been keeping her alive ever since. She gulped down the mug and stretched happily, yawning just a little.

"All right then. Time to get ready for Judgement Day," she muttered.

Shedding her night clothes as she went, Makoto moved about her bedroom, trying to extract her nice, business clothes from everything else. Successful at last, she put everything on and smoothed the blouse down, brushing out imaginary wrinkles. The boots gave her just an extra inch of height, but the leather had always made her feel slightly more classy. She gave her hair an extra brushing before swooping it back into a bun. Giving her reflection a smile, Makoto walked out the door and headed for the train station with a slight sigh.

No reason in ruining her good clothes on her motorcycle, she supposed. She grinned and reminded herself to thank Haruka for driving lessons once again.

* * *

The restaurant was a small one, Makoto noted immediately. She stood in front of the door, trying to see if there way anyone inside and chewing on her bottom lip absently. When she realized what she was doing, Makoto smacked herself mentally. _Idiot! What are you afraid for? This is a job interview, not Galaxia. Stop stalling and get in there_. Listening to herself, she walked inside.

Though the restaurant was small, the interior decorating and the large windows made the inside seem much larger. The kitchen was separated from the dining room by a small alcohol bar and a swinging door. At night it would be brightly lit by lanterns over each table – most of which were traditional low tables on raised platforms so customers could take off their shoes when they ate. Shoji screens separated the tables to give customers some privacy, but the sections could easily hold six people. There were some western style tables as well – the restaurant was a chain and catered to tourists after all.

"Anou ... excuse me! I'm Kino Makoto ... " Makoto said, her voice seeming louder in the empty restaurant than it might have otherwise, "Shuyu-san called last night ... "

A young man stuck his head out of the kitchen door immediately, "Ara? Oh, you must be the girl dad told me about. He's upstairs – give me a second and I'll go get him." He extracted himself fully from the kitchen and out from behind the bar, going up a staircase to the left of it that Makoto hadn't noticed before. She figured it at exactly thirteen seconds later when two sets of footsteps came tromping back down. The young man was back and this time there was an elderly man with him – she assumed they were the father and son as Nasutei had spoken of.

"Ah, Kino-san yes?" asked the elderly man.

She smiled at him and bowed respectfully. He was a kindly looking man, a little on the portly side, with an easy smile. If she looked closely Makoto could see that he looked a lot like his son – Shuu, if she remembered the name right.

"Yes, I'm Kino Makoto."

"Well, don't just stand in the door way like a stranger, Kino-san. Come in, come in, sit down. Relax a bit. Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee?"

Blinking, a little startled, Makoto accepted the offer for tea. Shuu disappeared back into the kitchen soon after, almost without her noticing. The girl noted this absently – she didn't know many people who were stealthy enough to escape the heightened observational powers granted to the senshi. But she was soon distracted by Chan-Run as he came back with a pot of tea and two cups.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you in some tea. I'm rather fond of it myself."

"Oh, no, please do. It's your restaurant."

"Thank you," Chan-Run said anyway. He sat down and Makoto immediately poured him some tea from the delicate pot. He chuckled, "Good instincts."

Makoto blushed.

"Nasutei-san spoke very highly of you," Chan Run said after taking a long sip.

"Really? ... I mean ... we only met yesterday afternoon for a short time."

"So she said, but Nasutei-san is a very good judge of character, I've found. My son and his friends are very fond of her. She hasn't been wrong about one of them yet, so I'm more than willing to take her word about you."

"I ... I'm not sure what to say. ... I'm honored in her confidence, really," Makoto stammered, trying to wrap her mind around the new information.

Chan-Run chuckled again and turned slightly, "Shuu, stop hiding in there and come meet our guest."

The young man appeared from in the kitchen with a smile that was almost sheepish. He grinned at Makoto, and she smiled back, dipping her head in a bow. He held a tray of snacks in his hands – they appeared to be dango and little cakes – and brought them to the table.

"Mom made these yesterday," he said by way of explanation, helping himself to one.

Makoto waited until Chan-Run had done the same before taking one herself. She bit into the dumpling she'd taken and her eyes lit up. "It's wonderful. Your mother is excellent."

"I'll be sure to tell her, Kino-san," Chan-Run said, "In the meantime, I must bring the discussion back to work. Kino-san, what did Nasutei tell you of this restaurant?"

"That it was an excellent place but short-staffed."

"Ah, and we often are short-staffed. But she maybe did not tell you why we are short-staffed?"

The confused girl shook her head hesitantly.

"We have never had much help because of the food. We are Chinese, and we make Chinese food, which many potential employees do not like the idea of. Now we would like to move the restaurant to Shinjuku, to be nearer to our son. It is a trial for him to come out to Yokohama every time he wants to see us; it requires too much planning. Of course, those helpers we have that aren't family can't be asked to make the move with us. We worried that we would have to hunt down help when we opened our new restaurant location, and when Nasutei told us of you we thought that maybe we were saved. I know this is a Chinese restaurant, but would you consider working for us?"(2)

"I ... of course!" Makoto said, blinking, hearing herself only vaguely, "The type of food doesn't matter if it's good."

Shuu smiled to himself, _I think I can see why Nasutei liked her so quickly. But that still doesn't cover Byakuuen. I'll have to ask Ryo about that_.

* * *

NOTES 

(1) Okay, I imagine this might be a little confusing. Based on the information I got from Nether Realm, Shuu Rei-Faun is actually Shuyu Rei-Faun, and Shuyu is his last name (in Chinese there is no such last name as Shuu). But since everyone knows him as Shuu (which is cannon, because it's what they call him in the anime) I'm not going to change that. His father's name is Shuyu Chan-Run – I will continue to use Shuyu as the last name when talking about Shuu's father, and I'm going to try not to use Shuu's last name except as his first name.

(2) Right. So. Why does the fact that they're Chinese matter? Does World War II ring a bell? I'm sure it's not the case of everyone, but no matter where you go there is a sense of superiority to someone. Plus, I'm exaggerating for purposes of the story.


	3. Fighting the Youja

Pairing: Eventual Shin/Makoto  
Type: X-over; action/adventure  
Begun: 6/20/02  
Ended: who knows?

**Note:** This takes place somewhere between the end of Sailor Stars, so it's sort of a TWT for the Senshi, and the middle of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers series (between the first and second invasion - which is supposed to have happened in 1988, anyway), so it's a total TWT for the Troopers. Also, the people in Shinjuku came back from wherever they disappeared to between the two invasions.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. I never will own them, and I'm sure you're all thankful for that. However, I do own this plot and any and all clothing designs.  
**Warnings:** The only senshi found here are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. All others appear in mention alone. There will be violence in later chapters, and blood. That's about it, though.

* * *

Makoto got back home still feeling as if she were in shock. After a full day of being rejected, not only did she get a job, but her employers had **asked **her to take it. That was not how she'd expected things to go at all. Vaguely she wondered what sort of person Nasutei was that her word was good enough for a complete stranger to be accepted without a formal interview. She walked down the street to her apartment building slowly, not really paying attention to anything but the ground in front of her. That was why she almost missed her name being called. 

" ... koto-san! Makoto-san!"

With a start Makoto looked up. Across the street Nasutei was sitting on Byakuuen's back, waving at her and smiling. The senshi of Jupiter couldn't help herself – she smiled and waved back, jogging over to meet up with them.

"Good afternoon, Nasutei-san. Byakuuen-san. Working late?"

Nasutei laughed while the white tiger preened, "Yes, actually. I'm on my way to the school again. Just finished my self-imposed lunch break. But I saw you and thought I should ask how it went. Shuyu-san did call, didn't he?"

"Yes, I just got back from the restaurant. I didn't know they were making a move. But I'm glad – it lessens my worry of a day-long commute. Shuyu-san seems like a very kind person."

Nasutei smiled softly and nodded, "I'm glad it went well. The whole family is very nice; though Shuu can be a handful if you get him angry. He's got something of a short temper."

"No way!"

"It's true!" the older woman giggled, "You've only met him once and for a relatively short time. If you meet him outside of the restaurant and hang out with him for a day, you'll see what I mean."

"Well, I don't know if that would ever happen," Makoto said, looking down modestly.

"You never know," Nasutei chided, shaking her finger jokingly. Then she caught sight of her watch, "Ara! Look at the time! I really should go if I ever want to finish clearing out grandfather's office."

"Well, see you soon, okay?"

"Of course. See you tomorrow!"

Makoto watched Byakuuen bound off, Nasutei riding on his back as though he were a horse. "Tomorrow, eh? I like that." She smiled and headed inside her apartment building, intent on getting a lot of unpacking done. The sooner she did, the sooner she could say she was home.

* * *

"Aaaah," she sighed, four hours later, "That feels so good." 

She looked around her fully unpacked living room. It had taken an hour to unpack the boxes and sort everything, and the next three to arrange everything to her liking. More pictures would grace the walls once she bought more nails, but that would be the finishing detail. For now, her bedroom and living room were fully unpacked and set up, and that was good enough for her. Tomorrow was Saturday anyway. She'd have the whole weekend to set up her kitchen and bathroom. Her stomach growled softly, alerting Makoto to the fact that she hadn't eaten all day. She looked at the clock, her eyes widening in surprise.

"It's really 19:00? Damn," she muttered, "And I haven't gone food shopping yet, either. Well then, back to ramen."(1)

She washed her face and hands quickly and grabbed her wallet and keys. Might as well go to the same place she had the night before, she figured – at least she knew it was cheap and could be easily spiced. And that was what she did, contemplating what had happened during the day while waiting for her order to come and playing absent-mindedly with her wooden chopsticks.

_I still can't believe it. Imagine. Just like that – I get a job. I mean, I knew they were friends of Nasutei-san's, but who's to say that they'd take me on just because of her word. And why would she put in a word for me, anyway? We just met! I shouldn't be counting my blessings, I guess, but even so ..._

Her train of thought was interrupted very rudely by the sounds of hysterical screaming as explosions ripped through the ground, shaking everything. Reacting quickly, Makoto held fast to the table as the after shock of the explosion rocked the ground under her feet.

"Oh shit," she swore, "Here we go again."

There was no talk of people collapsing in the streets, which meant no energy draining was being done, which meant that it was probably **not** the work of any of the youma she'd faced. It was for this that Makoto was infinitely thankful. The last thing she needed were youma attacks by some run-of-the-mill bad guy while she was on her own. But she could not easily ignore the fact that people were being hurt – probably by terrorists. Sighing heavily and ignoring the odd looks she was receiving from the otherwise hysterical people because she chose not to run around like a chicken with her head cut off, Makoto stood.

"Lesson one in an emergency: Don't. Panic. Doesn't anyone pay attention?" she mumbled, "Ch'. And why does this always happen at dinner!"

The Senshi of Balance calmly walked into the street, surveying the damage and quickly assessing the situation, mentally hoping that Haruka and Michiru would sense something and join her in the fight if there was one. The first thing that came to mind was, _This is **not** terrorist work_. And it wasn't. As far as she knew, a terrorist would have much more sense than to blow up a portable ice cream stand in the middle of the road. They'd be aiming for a shopping center, at least, with more crowds that would cause much more damage. She noted that the ice cream stand owner was safely away from the scene of the explosion and began casting glances around quickly, trying to locate the guilty party.

"This is strange. I can't feel the presence of any youma ... the energy levels are completely off. This isn't something from the Dark Kingdom. So what did this?" Makoto wondered aloud, looking for the closest alley. She could do more damage transformed than not. Finding an alleyway suitable for her needs, the tall girl quickly ducked into it and pulled out her henshin wand. "Jupiter Eternal ... MAKE UP!" she cried, throwing her hand into the air.

One short transformation sequence later she jumped up onto a tall building, tucking her newly acquired wings behind her to keep them out of the way.(2) From her perch she could see everything perfectly, including the attackers. What she saw was certainly not what she'd expected.

"We're being attacked by mobile tin cans? What is this, Gundam Wing?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes until they gleamed with mischievous evil. "I don't appreciate people ripping off a damn good show to kill people. Well then, I'll just have to take care of that myself." _And any rate, it'll be good practice for me._

Preferring a good fight to 'blast-and-run' as she had come to call it, Makoto leapt off the building and straight into the group of what appeared to be robotic samurai. At first it seemed that they didn't notice her so she took a second to wonder what their weak spot was. In the following second, one of the robots behind her realized that her presence was a threat, and swung out with his chain-scimitar. Makoto was able to just barely dodge it. She growled lowly and jumped into the air, flipping and landing behind the group.

"If that's how we're going to play ... Supreme THUNDER!" she yelled, calling upon her power like an old friend.

The massive bolts of lightning-like energy came crashing down around her and she relished in the feeling of the raw power caressing her. Holding onto the sensation of for just a moment as she gathered it and concentrated it, Makoto threw herself into her role as protector, balancer, and fighter with abandon. Three seconds later she released the energy and watched it obliterate a straight line of the robotic things.

"How's that for competition?" Makoto smirked.

Unfortunately for her, the samurai seemed to take her challenge seriously and brandished their weapons, circling closer and pressing in on her. The line of empty space that she had created was filled in as they moved closer.

"Sparkling ... wide ... PRESSURE!" she shouted, creating the discus of energy and releasing it into the crowd and creating more empty space, which she promptly ran through.

Not taking another chance at being closed in, Makoto sprang into the air back flipping, and unleashing a "flower hurricane" and a "coconut cyclone" in succession, trying to wipe out as many as possible before she came down again. Though she did get many of them, there were many others coming at her, swinging scythes and scimitars and various other weapons at her.

"All right. Fine. In that case ... " Makoto growled, and charged back at them.

She slid back into her memories as a martial artist and street child, lashing out with every kick and punch that she could think of, while concentrating her power to her hands and feet – something she'd never used before but had always wanted to try. She felt an oddly satisfying feeling as she watched them crumble to ashes under her attacks, but brushed the feeling aside. There would be time for that later, now she had to be on her guard. Not only was she using more energy than normal due to the new situation, but this use of her powers was new to her – her energy was draining from her quickly and she knew it. None of the senshi had ever fought this many things before. All their enemies had come in ones or twos. She cast a calculating gaze around – there weren't so many samurai robots that she couldn't take them all down before she was totally drained, she figured. And she was right. By the time she really started feeling the strain of using so much energy there were only five of the robots left.

"I can do this ... Four ... " she said as one went down with a roundhouse kick. "Three," went down with a chop to the neck area. "Two ... " she paused, swaying slightly on her feet. "Where the hell are 'two' and 'one'?"

The last two were gone. Makoto turned a full circle, listening intently for any sign of the escaped samurai things, but saw and heard nothing. Not relaxing her guard at all she moved on down the street looking left and right.

"Come out! I know you haven't left, I can still feel your presence! Hiding won't do you any good, especially not when you've put me in a bad mood!" she called out in challenge.

The streets remained eerily silent except for a faint sound of chains clinking softly against each other. Makoto mentally zeroed in on the noise and smirked. "Ah-hah. Got you," she whispered, and ran silently in the direction of it. Walking dumbly into the alleyway that she had transformed in was one of the two escapees. She smirked and readied her hands for the attack.

"Sparkling ... wide ... PRESSU-AAAAH!"

Looking down at her left side with something akin to shock or disbelief, Makoto saw the long gash that all but gushed out blood. A large red spot was developing on her side, and growing steadily larger. There really was no pain, and she supposed it had to do with her being used to it. The two animated armor suits brandished their weapons.

_The only thing keeping it off the street_, Makoto mused idly, _is my fuku. Well fuck_. "I'm afraid I can't let you off easily for that, asshole. This is my best outfit, after all. Supreme thunder ... DRAGON!"

The dragon-shaped lightning curled around her body, making her look to the passer-by something like an evil angel. She threw her hands out at the two robots and cried, "SIC 'EM!" Two seconds later there were no more robots in the streets, and Makoto felt **very** dizzy. Belatedly she heard the sound of running feet near her, but she just didn't have the energy to face her attacker. Everything was black around the edges, she was so tired, and her feet didn't seem quite able to support her weight any more. Then she was falling, and the last thing she felt was being caught.

* * *

It had started out a peaceful, calm, relaxing day by the water. It usually did when something was going to go wrong – he'd thought he'd learned that lesson. But no ... he'd gotten his hopes up all the same. The day was brightly lit with the sun and warm, but not so much that he would be sweating horribly. All in all, it was a perfect day for a long swim. Until his good friend Hashiba Touma came into the picture. Sometimes he really wanted to hit the genius boy. 

Touma had called him out earlier than he would have liked because he wanted someone to spar with. Seiji was at his family's dojo at the time, Shuu was visiting Yokohama to see his family, Ryo was off in the wild, and he was really bored so would Shin please, please, please, pleaaaaaaase spar with him? He was really bored and considering using Nasutei's furniture for target practice.

Though he would have preferred to stay in the water and play with his aquatic friends, Shin knew that there was no denying Touma in begging mode. He also really didn't want to have to explain to Nasutei why her couch was full of holes. Against his better judgement, Shin agreed to spar with Touma. They'd finished earlier than either expected (sparring sessions had a way of going on for hours once you got into the swing of things), and so he decided to go to the library for a couple hours of peaceful reading.

This was **before** the explosions ripped through the streets sending the common people into mass hysteria. Shin sighed in annoyance and snapped his book closed angrily. The feel of youja soldiers was everywhere, and there was a sharp spike in a form of energy that he couldn't classify.

_Dammit, didn't we just finish defeating Arago?_ Shin thought, annoyed.

Well, either Arago was back or there was someone new in command of his soldiers – perhaps that was the new energy he'd felt. He truly hoped that the latter of his guesses was the correct one: dealing with Arago more than once in a lifetime was **not** on his list of things to do.

"Can't we have peace for even a year? Really, this is getting old." Suiko no Shin grumbled loudly. "And where's Seiji when you need him? Why does the fighting **always** start when I'm the only one around, anyway?"

It didn't matter that he was talking to himself; the library was so full of yelling and screaming people that he doubted people knew what they were screaming about, much less were paying attention to him. Shin pulled out his cell phone to call the other Troopers and felt like screaming himself when he realized that his batteries had run out.

"Daaaa!" he cried in frustration, debating whether or not to crush the thing. Instead he slammed it on the table next to his book. Then he huffed out another annoyed sigh and moved to an open window, which he proceeded to jump out of. "So I'll go myself and take all the credit later."

He ran in the direction of the youja that he knew where terrorizing the citizens, powering into his under-armor while he was at it. He just hoped that he wasn't too late to salvage the situation. People ran by him, screaming and ducking behind cars. Deciding that it would take too long to run through them all, Shin hopped up onto a car's roof and leapt into the air, landing on a roof.

"Ninja time," Shin grinned to himself as he began roof-hopping.

He made it to the battle ground in time to see a flash of green run into an alleyway. Making a soft noise of confusion, Suiko no Shin jumped down to the street, landing silently, and positioned himself behind a car. Something that sounded like "Supreme thunder" came echoing out of the alley shortly after, followed by a flash of lightning. Shin waited until the light had died down before he jumped over the car and leapt silently to the entry of the alley. There, with her back turned towards him, was none other than one of the Sailor Senshi that had been in the news reports so often before Arago's first attack.

"Holy ... They _are_ real! Hah! Take that, Touma! You and Seiji owe me and Nasutei money!" Shin muttered, grinning like a mad man. The Trooper took a few steps towards her to attempt conversation with her, when he realized that she was swaying dangerously on her feet. A confused look came over his face. "What's wrong with her ... " then he noticed the blood. "Shit. She's gonna fall."

Without another thought about what he was doing, Suiko no Shin found himself running full speed in Sailor Jupiter's direction, some internal instinct demanding that he catch her and protect her before she was hurt further. He caught her by throwing himself to the ground just below her, seconds before she hit the ground, and wrapped protective arms around her waist. All it took was one look at her face and Shin knew instantly that she was unconscious and needed medical attention. He was amazed at how light she was when he picked her up and more so when he saw her fuku become street clothes. Before his eyes she transformed from a pretty super heroine to an equally pretty young woman.

"Well," he said jokingly, trying not to acknowledge the blush that he could feel staining his cheeks, "normally I'd try to get at least a name before carrying you off, but I think we can make an exception for today. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

* * *

NOTES 

(1) As far as I know, Japan runs on military time like the rest of the sane world.

(2) You'll need to have read the manga for this one. The final transformation sequence of the Senshi outfits included wings; whether or not they work is debatable.


	4. Hospital Visits

Pairing: Eventual Shin/Makoto  
Type: X-over; action/adventure  
Begun: 6/20/02  
Ended: who knows?

**Note:** This takes place somewhere between the end of Sailor Stars, so it's sort of a TWT for the Senshi, and the middle of the Yoroiden Samurai Troopers series (between the first and second invasion - which is supposed to have happened in 1988, anyway), so it's a total TWT for the Troopers. Also, the people in Shinjuku came back from wherever they disappeared to between the two invasions.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sailor Moon or Yoroiden Samurai Troopers. I never will own them, and I'm sure you're all thankful for that. However, I do own this plot and any and all clothing designs.  
**Warnings:** The only senshi found here are Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. All others appear in mention alone. There will be violence in later chapters, and blood. That's about it, though.

* * *

Yagiyu Nasutei had planned to be home by five o' clock, yet she was still at the school as the time closed in on nine. Part of the reason for this was her own fault; she had admitted that when she realized that she had been staring at a wall thinking of Makoto for nearly a full hour. She still could not figure out why she found Makoto so different or the reason she had felt anything, which annoyed her to no end. But the rest was entirely due to bumbling idiots who didn't know what they were doing anymore. She didn't blame them too much, they were still getting over the shock of Arago's demise just a bit over a year and a half before, but she wished that they would hurry and get back to their more efficient, normal selves.

Byakuuen seemed to agree with her, for less than an hour after they had arrived at the school he had laid down on the floor and gone to sleep. So Nasutei packed boxes of books, papers, and various files that had been her grandfather's, and prepared them to be moved to her large house by the lake. There were some things that she wanted to show the Troopers, but more importantly, they were all she had left of him besides a few framed pictures.

Nasutei rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter in her grandfather's chair, looking for a moment at the digital clock on the desk. It read 20:30. Time to go home at last and have a nice, long, hot bath. She sighed happily, stretched and stood, looking around for Byakuuen; she needed him to play 'car' once again or she'd never get home before ten.

"Byakuuen!" she called. "I'm done. Let's go home so we can eat. Shin said he'd cook tonight."

Neither tiger nor human had eaten since they'd arrived at the school at three. Both were ready to get out of the building and have a nice meal, aside from Nasutei's bath (of which Byakuuen had never been fond). Then the phone rang.

Growling slightly Nasutei picked it up and snapped, "Moshi-moshi," into the receiver.

"Moshi-moshi," said the caller, sounding tired.

She recognized the voice immediately and stamped down panic. "Shin? What's wrong?" she asked, forgetting her ire from just a moment before.

Shin sighed into the phone and she got the distinct impression that he was rubbing his eyes. This concerned her more than it should have, and Nasutei wondered if it didn't have something to do with another party's involvement in something she should be aware of, but wasn't.

"You mean you didn't hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The explosions. There was a ... small battle today."

Nasutei's eyes widened. She'd heard them; she figured everyone within three miles had heard them. But there had been no energy signatures to disclose who was the perpetrator, and Byakuuen had not immediately leapt to the defense, so she had dismissed them as irrelevant to her day and continued working. She told Shin as much: "Oh, I heard them all right, but from here they looked like fireworks! I thought someone important was having a party. Who was it? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? What happened?"

"Calm down, Nasutei, I'm fine. I wasn't the one fighting."

"Then who was? It's not Arago again, is it? You destroyed him!"

"I know," Shin replied, sounding grim. "There were youja, but they didn't fight like I remember. At least, the two I saw didn't. It was like they actually had minds and training."

"But if you weren't fighting them, who was? Not anyone from Shinjuku, I know that. Was it Seiji?"

"No. He's back at the house, as far as I know. Besides, he doesn't do fireworks and he's not a woman. Nasutei ... d'you remember the reports about the Sailor Senshi that were all over the news a while back?"

"You mean the ones from Tokyo? Of course I remember them - it's hard to forget when people still make up rumors as to why they've disappeared." Nasutei gave a small smile into the phone, and she knew Shin did the same. Both were adamant believers that the Sailor Senshi did exist, no matter what Seiji and Touma said, and were actual people and not aliens like Shuu insisted. Ryo was neutral on the subject and never involved himself in the debates that had taken place over the issue. That, and the fact that there was a still-on-going bet between the three parties, and Ryo was notorious for losing bets against Seiji.

"Yes, well, guess who owes us money."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we can now prove that the Senshi exist, and we are going to be getting a tidy sum of money soon enough."

Nasutei's eyes widened again, "What!"

"Sailor Jupiter was the one fighting today. She's hurt badly ... and drained of energy, I think. She really does have a lot of power but it seems she can't use it as much as she did today. She's unconscious. We're at the hospital."

"I'll be right there!"

"Nasu – " Shin's voice cut off abruptly as Nasutei slammed down the phone and whistled for Byakuuen and running down the hall. The tiger kept pace with her until they were outside and she jumped on his back; then he took off.

"We've got to get to the hospital!" Nasutei urged, wondering why she felt so damned anxious. It wasn't like she knew the Sailor Senshi, after all.

* * *

"Oi, Nasutei. Over here."

The red haired girl spun around and relaxed when she saw Shin. He looked a little weary, as if he'd been in the same position for a long time. Then again he may well have been in that same tiny hospital-chair since he'd arrived with Jupiter, and it had been nearly four hours since the end of the battle. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder gently before sitting down.

"They won't let me see her until she's conscious, because I don't know her. She didn't have any positive ID on her, so I don't even know her name. I've been waiting – "

"Are you Yagiyu Nasutei?" a polite sounding voice asked.

Both looked up in surprise to see a neatly dressed hospital attendant looking down at them. Her face was friendly, though she wasn't smiling overly-cheerfully at them. Nasutei nodded.

"Yes, that's me."

"Ah, thank goodness. Please come this way; your friend may also come," the attendant said and began walking down a long hallway.

Shin and Nasutei followed without a word, shooting questioning and confused glances at each other. They both shrugged and continued walking after the attendant, wondering if there would be any explanations as to why they were now being allowed to see the unconscious Sailor Jupiter.

"Your name was among the papers we could find in her pocket, Nasutei-san," the attendant said as they walked down the long hall, "We thought you might be an emergency contact or relative of hers. It would be most helpful if you could identify her for us."

Now the two shot each other looks that were both guilty and curiously resigned.

"If I know her I'll certainly tell you," Nasutei promised carefully.

"Thank you."

In the back of her mind, Nasutei felt uncomfortable, and a glance at Shin proved that he felt the same. (Not that it surprised her – Trust was Shin's virtue, after all.) She knew that neither could possibly know Sailor Jupiter's true identity, and they found it strange that none of the doctors or nurses could tell that it was she. After all, the Senshi could hardly be counted as unrecognizable, seeing as they'd saved the world many times. Still, neither she nor Shin said anything, and they were lead to a small room near the back of the hospital. Upon entry, Nasutei's first thought was that everything was white. Shin's initial reaction was to shudder violently; he hated hospitals. Then they approached the bed.

"Ah! My god!" Nasutei exclaimed.

Shin looked at her curiously, but the older woman rushed passed him to the side of the bed. She looked down at the girl lying unconscious and brushed the bangs off her face. Shin walked to the other side of the bed and waited.

"Makoto-san!"

"You know her, Nasutei-san?"

"Yes! Yes, she's – she's my second cousin. We haven't seen each other in nearly two years. She must have come in for a surprise visit."

Shin stared at his long-time friend with open-mouthed surprise. Never ever in the time he had known her, had he ever heard her lie to someone of authority, much less with a straight face. But he kept his mouth shut and continued looking down at the girl. She most definitely did **not** look like the Sailor Jupiter he had seen in action earlier in the day, and if Nasutei thought she could pull off the act, he would go along with it.

"Are you sure, Nasutei-san?" one of the doctors asked.

"Of course! The paper with my number on it – let me see it."

The paper was handed over promptly. Nasutei looked at it and sure enough, there was the Shuyu family restaurant's number and address with her own phone number on the back. She made a great show of sighing and shaking her head.

"Silly Makoto-san."

"What is it, Nasutei?" Shin asked.

"This number is old! It was changed last year. And this address, we had agreed to meet there three or four years ago. I'd be surprised if it was still there."

The two doctors, nurse, and attendant seemed to buy Nasutei's act, for Shin saw them all nod sagely at each other and come to a silent decision. The eldest doctor stepped forward and brushed imaginary dust off his impeccably white uniform jacket.

"Nasutei-san. If it is of no burden on you, would you be willing to bring your cousin home with you? We are running out of rooms and tonight it is unusually busy here. We have run all the necessary tests and deem Kino-san out of danger."

"Yes, of course," Nasutei agreed immediately.

She was fairly certain that Makoto didn't have anyone waiting for her actual home, making her feel less guilty. After all, if her new friend needed someone to be there for her, Nasutei was willing to be that person. She just hoped that the Troopers would accept Makoto like she and Byakuuen did. He wasn't the quickest to trust, that was Shin's job, but Ryo would be all right as long as he knew his tiger was okay with Makoto: that she knew for a fact. Shuu already liked her, so he would back the motion to take Makoto in, if only for a little while. Nasutei's problem would be getting Seiji and Touma to accept her new 'second cousin'.

"Good, good. If that's settled, then you may wait here until she awakens. I am sorry I am unable to stay longer, but I do have other patients who need to be attended to," the elderly doctor said, bowing slightly.

Shin and Nasutei bowed back to him in respect. The doctor left, taking with him the other doctor and the nurse, leaving the attendant to take care of the smaller details such as paper work and medical instructions. The woman read a short list of things off a chart, which Nasutei left to Shin to remember. Finding out that a friend, and one recently gained at that, was Sailor Jupiter was not an every day occurrence and she felt both confused and understanding at the same time. When the attendant finally left she turned to Shin and smiled guiltily.

"D'you think the others will be very angry with me for this?"

"It's a bit too soon after Arago to trust a complete stranger so quickly, I think," Shin replied honestly. Nasutei wondered if he could see her face fall. He shrugged and shook his head, "But I helped her here on little more than instinct, so I guess I shouldn't be the one to speak for the group." He was lost in thought for a moment and Nasutei guessed he was figuring the others reactions. At length he said, "Ryo will be okay with it as long as Byakuuen is, and Shuu won't have too much of a problem warming up to her if he likes her and if Ryo doesn't mind."

"But it's Seiji and Touma you're worried about?" she guessed.

He smiled slightly. "Not worried, really. But they're going to be most resistant to the idea. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course. I'm willing to risk that chance, though. She's my friend – if she's Sailor Jupiter she can't be that horrible a person, and I don't think that she's got anyone else to take care of her. Besides, Byakuuen seemed to really like her when they first met, and you know he doesn't like just anyone. He was practically purring."

Shin grinned, "Well then, I'm most certainly reassured. Ryo won't stand a chance of resisting her."

A slight rustling of sheets brought his attention quickly back to the bed. Makoto stirred slightly, fighting with unconsciousness to open her eyes. Her face screwed up like as a child's when waking up on a school day, which Shin realized, with some surprise, he found adorable. Both he and Nasutei tried to pretend they weren't, but neither could help but hold their breath. Makoto's eyes slowly opened and for the first time Shin was treated to the sight of brilliant emerald irises that rivaled Seiji's for brilliance, however slightly glazed over from pain.

Makoto's eyes lit on Shin first and slid over him, almost dismissively when the part of her brain that still worked told her that she had no idea who he was. Her eyes fell on a more familiar face next, but she had to pause a minute for her mouth to start working at the same pace as her brain.

" ... Nasutei-san?" she whispered, her voice cracking just the slightest bit. "Why are you here?"


End file.
